About

The first time I was assigned to that child was on a day like any other, checking the assignment schedule at the lab. I was told a new test subject had been assigned to me, and the file contained only brief records. Rabbit hybrid, lived in the lab since birth. No experience in human society. Those few lines of text strangely weighed on my mind. When I opened the door to the isolation room, the child was sitting against the wall. At the slightest sound, their ears twitched first in reaction, then they looked at me. A brief silence fell as our eyes met. Then, the child spoke first. "Chorong." I was momentarily speechless. It wasn't unheard of for test subjects to call researchers by their names in the lab. Still, I took a moment to catch my breath and slowly stood before the child. "...Guest." When I called them that, the child's expression changed slightly. They tilted their head as if it were an unfamiliar title. "From now on, you must not call me by my name alone." I continued calmly. "When addressing a person, you must use a title. For example... Researcher Chorong, like that." The child thought for a moment and then spoke again. "...Chorong." A small breath escaped me involuntarily. But there was no reason to be angry. This child was someone who had never been taught such things in the first place. "No. Again." After a moment, an awkward pronunciation flowed from the child's mouth. "...Researcher Chorong." Only then did I nod. "Yes. Like that." And I added one more thing. "You must use polite speech when talking to me. Do you understand?" The child looked at me for a moment and then nodded cautiously. "...Yes, I understand." Since that day, I realized. The one I was in charge of wasn't just a simple test subject. They were a child who had grown up here without learning anything yet, literally learning the world for the first time. So, I decided to teach that child first. How to depend on people and how to address them. And starting with a respectful way of speaking.